ITA EST INQUAM. — Prosa 6
"Thus is it," quod I. "But so as thou hast yeven
or byhyght me to unwrappen the hidde causes of thinges, and to
discovere me the resouns covered with derknes, I preie the that
thou devyse and juge me of this matere, and that thou do me to
undirstonden it. For this miracle or this wonder trowbleth me
ryght gretly."
And thanne sche, a litelwhat smylinge, seide: "Thou
clepist me," quod sche, "to telle thing that is gretteste
of alle thingis that mowen ben axed, and to the whiche questioun
unethes is ther aught inowh to laven it. (As who seith, unnethes
is ther suffisauntly any thing to answeren parfitly to thy
questioun.) For the matere of it is swich, that whan o doute is
determined and kut awey, ther waxen othere doutes withoute
nombre, ryght as the hevedes wexen of Idre, the serpent
that Hercules slowh. Ne ther ne were no manere ne
noon ende, but if that a wyght constreynede tho doutes by a ryght
lifly and quyk fir of thought (that is to seyn, by vigour and
strengthe of wit). For in this matere men weren wont to maken
questiouns of the symplicite of the purveaunce of God, and of the
ordre of destyne, and of sodeyn hap, and of the knowynge and
predestinacioun devyne, and of the liberte of fre wil; the whiche
thinges thou thiself aperceyvest wel of what weighte thei ben.
But for as moche as the knowynge of thise thinges is a maner
porcioun of the medycyne to the, al be it so that I have litil
tyme to doon it, yit natheles Y wol enforcen me to schewe somwhat
of it. But although the noryssynges of dite of musyk deliteth
the, thou most suffren and forberen a litel of thilke delit, whil
that I weve to the resouns yknyt by ordre."
"As it liketh to the," quod I, "so do."
Tho spak sche ryght as by another bygynnynge, and seide
thus:
"The engendrynge of alle thinges," quod sche, "and
alle the progressiouns of muable nature, and al that moeveth in
any manere, taketh hise causes, his ordre, and his formes, of the
stablenesse of the devyne thought. And thilke devyne thought that
is iset and put in the tour (that is to seyn, in the heighte) of
the simplicite of God, stablissith many maner gises to thinges
that ben to done; the whiche manere whan that men looken it in
thilke pure clennesse of the devyne intelligence, it is ycleped
purveaunce; but whanne thilke manere is referred by men to
thinges that it moeveth and disponyth, than of olde men it was
clepyd destyne. The whiche thinges yif that any wyght loketh wel
in his thought the strengthe of that oon and of that oothir, he
schal lyghtly mowen seen that thise two thinges ben dyvers. For
purveaunce is thilke devyne resoun that is establissed in the
sovereyn prince of thinges, the whiche purveaunce disponith alle
thinges; but, certes, destyne is the disposicioun and ordenance
clyvynge to moevable thinges, by the whiche disposicion the
purveaunce knytteth alle thingis in hir ordres; for purveaunce
enbraceth alle thinges to-hepe, althoghe that thei ben diverse
and although thei ben infinit. But destyne, certes, departeth and
ordeyneth alle thinges singulerly and devyded in moevynges in
places, in formes, in tymes, as thus: lat the unfoldynge of
temporel ordenaunce, assembled and oonyd in the lokynge of the
devyne thought, be cleped purveaunce, and thilke same assemblynge
and oonynge, devyded and unfolden by tymes, lat that ben called
destyne.
"And al be it so that thise thinges ben diverse, yit
natheles hangeth that oon of that oother; forwhi the ordre
destynal procedith of the simplicite of purveaunce. For ryght as
a werkman that aperceyveth in his thought the forme of the thing
that he wol make, and moeveth the effect of the werk, and ledith
that he hadde lookid byforn in his thought symplely and presently
by temporel ordenaunce; certes, ryght so God disponith in his
purveaunce singulerly and stablely the thinges that ben to doone;
but he amynistreth in many maneris and in diverse tymes by
destyne thilke same thinges that he hath disponyd. Thanne,
whethir that destyne be exercised outhir by some devyne spiritz,
servantz to the devyne purveaunce, or elles by some soule, or
elles by alle nature servynge to God, or elles by the celestial
moevynges of sterres, or ellis by vertu of aungelis, or elles by
divers subtilite of develis, or elles by any of hem, or elles by
hem alle the destinal ordenaunce is ywoven and acomplissid,
certes, it es opene thing that the purveaunce is an unmoevable
and symple forme of thinges to doone, and the moevable bond and
the temporel ordenaunce of thinges whiche that the devyne
symplicite of purveaunce hath ordeyned to doone, that is destyne.
"For whiche it is that alle thinges that ben put undir
destyne ben certes subgitz to purveaunce, to whiche purveaunce
destyne itself is subgit and under. But some thinges ben put
undir purveaunce, that sourmounten the ordenance of destyne; and
tho ben thilke that stablely ben ifycchid neyghe to the first
godhede. They surmounten the ordre of destynal moevablete. For
ryght as of cerklis that
tornen aboute a same centre
or aboute a poynt, thilke cerkle that is innerest or most
withinne joyneth to the symplesse of the myddle, and is, as it
were, a centre or a poynt to the tothere cerklis that tornen
abouten hym; and thilke that is utterest, compased by a largere
envyrownynge, is unfolden by largere spaces in so moche as it is
ferthest fro the myddel symplicite of the poynt; and yif ther be
any thing that knytteth and felawschipeth hymself to thilke
myddel poynt, it is constreyned into simplicite
(that is to seyn, into
unmoevablete), and it ceseth
to ben schad and to fleten diversely; ryght so, by semblable
reson, thilke thing that departeth ferrest fro the firste thought
of God, it is unfolden and summittid to grettere bondes of
destyne; and in so moche is the thing more fre and laus fro
destyne, as it axeth and hooldeth hym neer to thilke centre of
thinges (that is to seyn, to God);
and yif the
thing clyveth to the stedfastnesse of the thought of God and be
withoute moevynge, certes it surmounteth the necessite of
destyne. Thanne ryght swich comparysoun as is of skillynge to
undirstondyng, and of thing that ys engendrid to thing that is,
and of tyme to eternite, and of the cercle to the centre; ryght
so is the ordre of moevable destyne to the stable symplicite of
purveaunce.
"Thilke ordenaunce moveth the hevene and the sterres,
and
atemprith the elementz togidre amonges hemself, and transformeth
hem by entrechaungeable mutacioun. And thilke same ordre neweth
ayein alle thinges growynge and fallynge adoun, by semblable
progressions of sedes and of sexes (that is to seyn, male and
femele). And this ilke ordre constreyneth the fortunes and the
dedes of men by a bond of causes nat able to ben unbownde; the
whiche destynal causes, whan thei passen out fro the bygynnynges
of the unmoevable purveaunce, it moot nedes be that thei ne be
nat mutable. And thus ben the thinges ful wel igoverned yif that
the symplicite duellynge in the devyne thoght scheweth forth the
ordre of causes unable to ben ibowed. And this ordre constreyneth
by his propre stablete the moevable thingis, or elles thei
scholden fleten folyly.
"For whiche it es that alle thingis semen to hen confus
and trouble to us men, for we ne mowen nat considere thilke
ordenaunce. Natheles the propre maner of every thing, dressynge
hem to gode, disponith hem alle, for ther nys no thing doon for
cause of yvel, ne thilk thing that is doon by wikkid folk nys nat
doon for yvel, the whiche schrewes, as I have schewed ful
plentyvously, seken good, but wikkid errour mystorneth hem; ne
the ordre comynge fro the poynt of sovereyn good ne
declyneth nat fro his bygynnynge.
"But thou mayst seyn, ""What unreste may ben a
worse confusioun than that gode men han somtyme adversite and
somtyme prosperite, and schrewes also han now thingis that they
desiren and now thinges that thei haten?"" Whethir men
lyven now in swich
holnesse of thought (as who seith, ben men now so wyse) that
swiche folk as thei demen to ben gode folk or schrewes, that it
moste nedes ben that folk ben swiche as thei wenen? But in this
manere the domes of men discorden, that thilke men that som folk
demen worthy of mede, other folk demen hem worthy of torment. But
lat us graunten, I pose, that som man may wel demen or knowen the
good folk and the badde; may he thanne knowen and seen thilke
innereste atempraunce of corages as it hath ben wont to ben seyd
of bodyes? (As who seith, may a man
speken and
determinen of atempraunce in corages, as men were wont to demen
or speken of complexions and atempraunces of bodies?) Ne it
ne is nat an unlike miracle to hem that ne knowen it nat
(as who seith, but it is lik a mervayle
or miracle to
hem that ne knowen it nat) whi that swete thinges ben
covenable to some bodies that ben hole, and to some bodies
byttere thinges ben covenable; and also why that some syk folk
ben holpen with lyghte medicynes, and some folk ben holpen with
sharpe medicynes. But natheles the leche, that knoweth the manere
and the atempraunce of hele and of maladye, ne merveyleth of it
nothyng. But what othir thing semeth hele of corages but
bounte and prowesse? And what othir thing semeth maladye
of corages but vices? Who is elles kepere of good or dryvere awey
of yvel but God, governour and lechere of thoughtes? The whiche
God, whan he hath byholden from the hye tour of his purveaunce,
he knoweth what is covenable to every wight, and lenyth hem that
he woot that is covenable to hem. Lo, herof comyth and herof is
don this noble miracle of the ordre destynal, whan God, that al
knoweth, dooth swiche thing, of whiche thing unknowynge folk ben
astonyd.
"But for to constreyne (as who
seith, but for
to comprehende and to telle) a fewe thingis of the devyne
depnesse the whiche that mannis resoun may undirstonde, thilke
man that thow wenest to ben ryght just and ryght kepynge of
equite, the contrarie of that semeth to the devyne purveaunce,
that al woot. And Lucan, my famylier, telleth that the victorious
cause likide to the goddes, and the cause overcomen likide to
Catoun. Thanne whatsoevere thou mayst seen that is doon in this
world unhopid or unwened, certes it es the ryghte ordre of
thinges, but as to thi wikkid opynioun it is a confusioun. But
I suppose that som man be so wel ithewed that the devyne jugement
and the jugement of mankynde accorden hem togidre of hym; but he
is so unstidfast of corage that, yif any adversite come to hym,
he wol forleten peraventure to continue innocence by the whiche
he ne may nat withholden fortune. Thanne the wise dispensacion
of God sparith hym, the whiche man adversite myghte enpeyren; for
that God wol nat suffren hym to travaile to whom that travaile
nis nat covenable. Anothir man is parfit in alle vertus, and is
an holi man and neigh to God, so that the purveaunce of God wolde
deme that it were a felonie that he were touched with any
adversites; so that he wol nat suffre that swich a man be moeved
with any bodily maladye. But so as seyde a philosophre, the more
excellent by me — he seyde in Grec that ""vertues han
edified the body of the holi man.""
"And ofte tyme it betydeth that the somme of thingis
that
ben to done is taken to governe to good folk, for that the malice
haboundaunt of schrewes scholde ben abated. And God yeveth and
departeth to other folk prosperites and adversites imedled to-hepe
aftir the qualite of hir corages, and remordith some folk
by adversite, for thei ne scholden nat waxen proude by long
welefulnesse; and other folk he suffreth to ben travailed with
harde thinges for that thei scholden confermen the vertues of
corage by the usage and the exercitacioun of pacience. And other
folk dreden more than thei oughten the whiche thei myghte wel
beren, and thilke folk God ledeth into experience of hemself by
aspre and sorweful thingis. And many other folk han bought
honourable renoun of this world by the prys of glorious deth; and
som men, that ne mowen nat ben overcomen by torment, han yeven
ensample to other folk that vertu mai nat ben overcomyn by
adversites. And of alle thise thinges ther nis no doute that thei
ne ben doon ryghtfully and ordeynly, to the profit of hem to whom
we seen thise thingis betyde.
"For certes, that adversite cometh somtyme to schrewes
and
somtyme that that they desiren, it comith of thise forseyde
causes. And of sorweful thinges that betyden to schrewes, certes,
no man ne wondreth; for alle men wenen that thei han wel
desservid it, and that thei ben of wykkid meryt. Of whiche
schrewes the torment somtyme agasteth othere to don felonyes, and
somtyme it amendeth hem that suffren the tormentz; and the
prosperite that is yeven to schrewes scheweth a gret argument to
good folk what thing thei scholde demen of thilke welefulnesse,
the whiche prosperite men seen ofte serven to schrewes. In the
whiche thing I trowe that God dispenseth. For peraventure the
nature of som man is so overthrowynge to yvel, and so
uncovenable, that the nedy poverte of his houshold myghte rather
egren hym to don felonyes; and to the maladye of hym God putteth
remedye to yeven hym
rychesses. And som othir man
byboldeth his conscience defouled with synnes, and makith
comparysoun of his fortune and of hymself, and dredith
peraventure that his blisfulnesse, of whiche the usage is joyeful
to hym, that the lesynge of thilke blisfulnesse ne be nat sorwful
to hym; and therfore he wol chaunge his maneris, and, for he
dredith to lesen his fortune, he forletith his wikkidnesse. To
other folke is welefulnesse iyeven unworthely, the whiche
overthroweth hem into destruccioun, that thei han disservid; and
to som othir folk is yeven power to punysshen, for that it schal
be cause of contynuacioun and exercisynge to good folk, and cause
of torment to schrewes. For so as ther nis noon alliaunce bytwixe
good folk and schrewes, ne schrewes ne mowen nat acorden among
hemself. And whi nat? For schrewes discorden of hemself by hir
vices, the whiche vices al toreenden her consciences, and doon
ofte time thinges the whiche thingis, whan thei han doon hem,
they demen that tho thinges ne scholden nat han ben doon.
"For whiche thing thilke sovereyne purveaunce hath makid
ofte tyme fair myracle, so that schrewes han makid schrewes to
ben gode men. For whan that some schrewes seen that they suffren
wrongfully felonyes of othere schrewes, they wexen eschaufed into
hate of hem that anoyed hem, and retornen to the fruyt of vertu,
whan thei studien to ben unlyke to hem that thei han hated.
Certis oonly this is the devyne myght to the whiche myghte yvelis
ben thanne gode whan it useth the yvelis covenably and draweth
out the effect of any good. (As who seith
that yvel
is good only to the myghte of God, for the myght of God ordeyneth
thilke yvel to good.)
"For oon ordre enbraseth alle thinges, so that what
wyght
that departeth fro the resoun of thilke ordre whiche that is
assigned to hym, algatis yit he slideth into an othir ordre; so
that no thing nis leveful to folye in the reaume of the devyne
purveaunce (as who seith, no thing nis
withouten
ordenaunce in the reame of the devyne purveaunce), syn that
the ryght strong God governeth alle thinges in this world. For
it nis nat leveful to man to comprehenden by wit, ne unfolden by
word, alle the subtil ordenaunces and disposiciounis of the
devyne entente. For oonly it owghte suffise to han lokid that God
hymself, makere of alle natures, ordeineth and dresseth alle
thingis to gode; whil that he hasteth to withholden the thingis
that he hath makid into his semblaunce (that is to
seyn, for to withholden thingis into gode, for he hymsef is
good), he chasith out alle yvel fro the boundes of his
comynalite by the ordre of necessite destinable. For whiche it
folweth that, yif thou loke the purveaunce ordeynynge the thinges
that men wenen ben outraious or haboundaunt in erthis, thou ne
schalt nat seen in no place no
thing of yvel.
"But I se now that thou art charged with the weyghte of
the questioun, and wery with the lengthe of my resoun, and that
thou abydest som swetnesse of songe. Tak thanne this drawght,
and, whanne thou art wel reffressched and refect, thou schalt be
more stedfast to stye into heyere questions or thinges.
